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The New York Yankees and the New Era Pinstripe Bowl today announced a partnership with the Big Ten Conference.

The eight-year affiliation between the two legendary brands features the Big Ten's commitment to play in the annual New Era Pinstripe Bowl from 2014 to 2021. The Big Ten's partnership with the New Era Pinstripe Bowl will mark the conference's first bowl game tie-in on the East Coast. Additionally, for all New York Yankees regular season games, beginning in 2014, the Big Ten will have a significant branding presence in Yankee Stadium, featuring a fixed sign along the first-base line and home plate rotating signage.

The Big Ten Conference playing college football at Yankee Stadium is something I know my father would be proud to see come to fruition. He had a great passion for college football and spoke glowingly of his involvement with several of the conference's programs," said New York Yankees Managing Partner Hal Steinbrenner. "Welcoming a national powerhouse conference like the Big Ten to participate in the New Era Pinstripe Bowl and partner with the New York Yankees for years to come only expands the prestige of our great annual bowl game in New York City."

"Once we saw the success of the New Era Pinstripe Bowl, it became obvious - especially with the Big Ten's growing East Coast footprint - that being in the media capital of the world at one of sports' most renowned venues was a natural pairing," said Big Ten Commissioner James E. Delany. "By agreeing to an eight-year partnership, it increases the likelihood that most of the Big Ten schools will have the opportunity to participate in the game, while giving our coaches, student-athletes, administrators and fans the opportunity to experience the nation's biggest metropolis and an iconic setting like Yankee Stadium."

Established in 2010, the New Era Pinstripe Bowl has featured some of the most memorable moments of bowl seasons in just three short years, including the exciting finish in the inaugural 2010 game in which Kansas State missed a game-tying two-point conversion in the final minute, and the record-setting 208-yard rushing performance by Syracuse's Prince-Tyson Gulley in last year's game.

The 2012 New Era Pinstripe Bowl featured six 2013 NFL draft picks, including each of the game's starting quarterbacks - Syracuse's Ryan Nassib (Giants) and West Virginia's Geno Smith (Jets).

The 2012 New Era Pinstripe Bowl, featuring a 38-14 Syracuse victory over West Virginia, recorded a 3.9 household coverage rating. For bowls played prior to New Year's Day, only the Chick-fil-A Bowl (5.6 HH cvg rtg) and the Alamo Bowl (4.8 HH cvg rtg) recorded better overall ratings. After drawing a 2.5 total rating in 2011, the New Era Pinstripe Bowl's 56% ratings increase was the second-largest for all bowls on ESPN this past season through Jan. 1, 2013. Only the Armed Forces Bowl (+62%) bested the New Era Pinstripe Bowl for largest HH increase in 2012 vs. 2011.

Additionally, the New Era Pinstripe Bowl has seen increased attendance each of its first three years of existence, including a record 41,203 in 2012.

"As we continue to build equity in the New Era Pinstripe Bowl, partnering with the Big Ten Conference will bring a whole new level of premier talent to this event," said Christopher H. Koch, New Era CEO. "We're excited to have such a prestigious conference on-board."

The 2013 New Era Pinstripe Bowl will take place on Saturday, December 28. The game will be nationally televised by ESPN, which has also secured national and local radio rights for ESPN Radio. Fans are encouraged to visit newerapinstripebowl.com, the official website of the New Era Pinstripe Bowl, for access to up-to-the-moment information regarding the game and sign up to volunteer.

In the week prior to the New Era Pinstripe Bowl game, players, coaches and university staff take part in a variety of events, showcasing their respective universities to the New York metropolitan area. Special events, promotions and community outreach will take place throughout New York City during the week of the bowl game to create an unforgettable experience for fans, families, players and staffs of the two teams.

Prior to the inception of the New Era Pinstripe Bowl in 2010, the last college football bowl game had been played in the Bronx in 1962 when Nebraska edged Miami (Fla.), 36-34, in the Gotham Bowl at the original Yankee Stadium.

About New Era Cap Company, Inc. New Era is an international lifestyle brand with an authentic sports heritage that dates back over 90 years. Best known for being the official on-field cap for Major League Baseball, New Era is the brand of choice not only for its headwear collection, but also for its accessories and apparel lines for men, women and youth. The brand is worn as a symbol of self-expression by athletes, artists and some of the most interesting people around the globe. New Era encourages people to "FLY YOUR OWN FLAG™." The Company is headquartered in Buffalo, N.Y. and operates facilities in Canada, Europe, Brazil, Japan and Hong Kong. For more information, visit www.neweracap.com.

About the Big Ten Conference The Big Ten Conference is an association of world-class universities whose member institutions share a common mission of research, graduate, professional and undergraduate teaching and public service. Founded in 1896, the Big Ten has sustained a comprehensive set of shared practices and policies that enforce the priority of academics in student-athletes' lives and emphasize the values of integrity, fairness and competitiveness. The broad-based athletic programs of the 12 Big Ten institutions sponsor more than 300 teams competing for championships in 25 official conference sports, 12 for men and 13 for women. Big Ten universities provide in excess of $136 million in athletic scholarship aid to more than 8,200 men and women student-athletes, the most of any conference. For more information, visit www.bigten.org.